AFC Emley have climbed back to the top of the Northern Counties East League Division One table after beating Worsbrough Bridge Athletic 5-0 at Park Road.
Hopes of automatic promotion remain in sight after Ashley Flynn, Tom Brennan, Tom Robinson, Sam Jerome and Callum Charlton all scored.
Pontefract Collieries, who slip to second, couldn’t bounce back from their midweek defeat as they had no game, but Hall Road Rangers were 4-0 winners against Brigg Town.
However, Emley could drop out of the automatic promotion places if both their rivals win their games in hand.
Emley cannot afford to drop any more points in their final three league games – which are at home to Shirebrook Town next Saturday, then away to Selby Town and before ending the campaign at the Fantastic Media Welfare Ground against Glasshoughton Welfare.
Early nerves were settled in Barnsley as Flynn put Emley ahead with a cute lob after 11 minutes.
Centre-back Tom Brennan was in scoring form again, nodding in from a corner midway through the first half.
Mid-season signing Robinson made it three on the stroke of half-time with his first Emley goal.
The winger controlled a high cross with his chest, hooked the ball over his head when facing away from goal and found the bottom corner, spectacularly.
Any fear of a miraculous Worsbrough comeback was quickly erased as the second half began.
Jerome profited from a rare Brennan assist to nod the ball into an empty net, although there was debate over whether the latter’s header had already crossed the line.
The visitors took their foot off the gas after making it 4-0, but the introduction of substitutes Matthew Jackson and Ashley Scully breathed life back into the game.
Jackson was denied an immediate goal by the linesman’s flag, before his long-range effort was parried by the diving Aidan Tyas in the Worsborough goal.
However, he couldn’t stop Emley’s fifth in the closing stages.
Liam Schofield squared to an unmarked Charlton, who flicked into an empty net to score his second goal in three games.
